RESUMO
SETTING: Burkitt's lymphoma is a rare form of cancer and is an extremely rare diagnosis during pregnancy. This form of lymphoma is a very fast growing B cell neoplasm and chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for the disease in all its stages. CASE REPORT: The authors describe the case of a Caucasian 40-year-old nulliparous woman, with previous known Epstein-Barr virus infection, that presents at 28 weeks gestation with supraclavicular adenopathy and multiple bilateral breast nodules, in which biopsy showed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Burkitt's type. DISCUSSION: There are few described cases of Burkitt's lymphoma during pregnancy and in general the outcomes have been poor. In most of the cases, the patients were not treated by current standards or instead had a late diagnosis. This neoplasia is the most rapidly progressive human tumor, and any delay in initiating therapy can adversely affect patient's prognosis. The authors discuss treatment options in pregnancy and its perinatal implications.
Assuntos
Linfoma de Burkitt/virologia , Infecções por Vírus Epstein-Barr/complicações , Complicações Neoplásicas na Gravidez/virologia , Adulto , Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica , Linfoma de Burkitt/tratamento farmacológico , Feminino , Humanos , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez , Complicações Neoplásicas na Gravidez/tratamento farmacológicoRESUMO
AIMS: To study the expression of the human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) Tax gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. METHODS: Blood was collected from 72 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders. Serum from all patients was assayed for antibodies directed against HTLV-I structural proteins by ELISA and western blotting. RNA was purified from fresh blood cells and amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After Southern blotting, the PCR products were hybridised with a 32P end-labelled probe specific for the Tax gene. RESULTS: All samples were seronegative. A specific band for the Tax gene was found in five samples. Each of the patients positive for Tax gene expression had a different type of lymphoproliferative disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Infection by HTLV-I cannot be assessed solely by immunological assays, particularly when only disrupted virions are used. Sensitive molecular biology assays are essential for detecting viral gene expression in fresh blood cells.